Plane crashes into houses during air show at India's Hyderabad

An Indian Navy aircraft crashed into a residential area in the southern Indian city of Hyderabad Wednesday during an airshow at the start of an aviation exposition, DPA reported.

The pilot of the aircraft was likely to have died in the crash, Hyderabad police commissioner AK Khan said.

Navy spokesman Commander PV Satish confirmed an aircraft of the Sagar Pawan aeronautical display team had crashed, but said there was no information yet on the pilot.

The plane crashed into the first floor of a building in a crowded residential area adjoining Begumpet airport, Khan said.

Four injured people had been rescued from the building and sent to hospital. Television images of the crash showed a thick column of smoke coming out of the building.

Firefighters reached the scene, and rescue operations were under way, Khan said. It was not clear how many were injured in the crash or its cause.

The navy's Sagar Pawan team was performing at the opening of the five-day, biannual India Aviation 2010 exposition.

More than 200 Indian and international firms - including Airbus, Boeing, Bell, Thales and Dassault - are participating in the exposition hosted by the Civil Aviation Ministry and the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry.

France is a partner country at the exposition. More than 500 delegates from 17 countries were expected to participate, a statement from the organizers said.

"This will be a show of the country's aviation industry and the potential it holds for the future," Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel said in the statement.